Token of Gratitude
by Constable Paperbag
Summary: Team RWBY has finally been reunited, meaning Ruby and Weiss are partners again. That's a good thing... right? Jaune knows full well that it is, but for some reason the reunion has left him feeling depressed. It's selfish, he knows that, but he can't deny his feelings. In a twist of fate, Weiss ends up being the one to comfort him in this strange time.


**Afternoon everyone. In light of the recent news of Weiss' new character short coming out soon, I thought I'd write something that I kinda hope happens in Volume 5, or any of the volumes for that matter - though it'd make more sense for it to happen in 5. I don't consider this to be a White Knight fic, but feel free to make of it as you will. Please enjoy:**

* * *

A weapon needed to be as sharp as the mind of it's wielder.

That was something she used to say…

Jaune sat at the workbench, giving his weapon some well needed maintenance. He trained hard and often, so he had to repair his weapon equally as often. Despite Team RNJR's victory in arriving safely to Mistral, his training regime had hardly slowed down. Salem's forces were still out there, so his skills needed to be perfected.

Speaking of victories, Team RWBY had finally been reunited. The reunion was a joyful and tearful one, and they had spent the entire night celebrating. He couldn't remember the last time he partied that hard. Yang certainly knew how to enjoy the nightlife.

Jaune was happy too, as it was good to see the gang back together. His life felt incomplete without all the four girls in it. It was amazing how his time at Beacon had caused that.

But surprisingly, the reunion had also left him a little depressed. He was happy that Ruby got her team back, of course he was, but what really stung was watching her return to Weiss. That's when realisation hit him.

Ruby was no longer his partner.

Now that Weiss had returned, she would go back to being hers, and that would be that. Ruby had Weiss, Yang had Blake, Ren had Nora…

...

Well, at least his training helped clear his head. He couldn't be miserable when he was focusing on his skills. He knew he couldn't train forever - he already tried once and failed - so it would always be a brief moment of respite to him.

What also helped was looking after his weapon. Each time he polished, repaired or added any small tweaks to it, he always felt closer to her. Her metal and sash were the only keepsakes he had of her, aside from that video recording that he listened to religiously. Her gifts had helped strengthen his weaponry and increased his defence. It was almost as if she was still watching his back, protecting him from harm.

The least he could do was look after it properly...

"Jaune?"

A soft voice broke him out of his musing, and he spun round to see Weiss standing in the doorway. She looked happy to see him, which was an odd sight in of itself. Their relationship had certainly improved since he stopped flirting with her, but it was still a bit weird to see her throw a smile his way.

"Hey, Weiss. What brings you here?"

"I was looking for you," she said, much to his surprise. "Ren and Nora told me you'd be down here. They said you're always working on your weapon. I see they weren't wrong."

"Well, I can't be of help with a rusty blade now, can I?" he chuckled lightly. Weiss stepped closer and looked at the sword in his hand. She held out a hand as if to touch it.

"May I?"

He handed over the blade, knowing she would be careful with it. He would not just let anyone touch it, but his friends were an exception. She inspected it closely, turning it around in her hand.

"It's very impressive," she approved. "The craftsmanship is excellent, and the blade looks as sharp as when we last met. You've certainly been taking care of it."

"I try my best," he muttered.

"And is it me, or have you improved it slightly? The metals look a little different."

"Yeah, I made a few upgrades," he said, slightly wincing at the memory. "Let's just say I had a little help getting the materials."

Her eyes widened as she finally noticed the gold. "This was her metal, wasn't it?" His silence was all the answer she needed. "I'm so sorry," she sputtered, handing the sword back to him. "I didn't mean to open old wounds."

"It's fine. I'm… well, I'm not over it, but I've come to accept it now."

Oh, that had been a hard thing to do. Poor Ren and Nora had to deal with all his shouting and crying those first few days. He had to apologise to them one day.

"Anyway, you said you were looking for me, yes?"

"Oh, yes, of course," she said. "I came here to thank you. I was hoping for a chance to do so, and now seems like a good time as any."

"Thank me? For what?"

She rolled her eyes playfully. "For looking after Ruby, you dunce." Her face suddenly turned serious. "I'm very aware of the dangers you faced travelling here, yet when I saw my partner again, there was barely even a scratch on her. It's obvious she was in safe hands."

She smiled at him. "She then told me that you were an excellent partner, and that you were there for her in every time of need. For that, Jaune, you have my eternal gratitude. So yes, I guess what I'm trying to say is, thank you for looking after my partner."

Jaune was stunned. A smile and a compliment from Weiss Schnee? He doubted even Ruby got this kind of treatment from her. Any other day, he would've been over the moon to get this kind of reception from the girl he onced fawned over.

However, now he felt a little dirty receiving it. Especially considering how he wasn't too thrilled about the whole arrangement.

"There's no need to thank me," he said. "I was just doing what anyone would do."

"You may think that, but I still want to thank you. You were there for Ruby when I couldn't be, so I owe you my gratitude for protecting her."

"She did most of the protecting herself," he laughed. "She's still leagues above me, so I didn't really have to worry too much about her getting hurt."

"You don't do yourself enough credit."

"Yeah, well, you know me."

She scoffed. "Honestly, Jaune, if I'm giving you a compliment, you had better well accept it."

"Trust me, I really do, Weiss," he laughed, "But I'm telling you, it was a group effort. I deserve no more gratitude than the rest of the team."

"Well, at least I can say I've said my piece. Just don't expect this amount of praise constantly. Even Ruby has to work hard for my approval."

Called it.

"In that case, thanks for the kind words, Weiss," he said, turning back to his work. He was inspecting his sword for any dents or wears, when he realised he hadn't actually heard her leave. He turned round to see her still standing there, never once having left her spot.

"Umm, was there anything else you wanted?"

"Only for you to tell me what's wrong."

That caught him off guard. "What's wrong? Nothing's wrong, Weiss, you must be imagining things." He turned back to his weapon, not wanting to entertain her anymore. He had other things to think about.

She sighed and sat down next to him. "Jaune, when Beacon fell, I spent my entire time in my home in Atlas. It was a difficult environment, full of powerful people with more wealth than morality. Everyone always seemed to be scheming something, my father especially. They usually did a good job of hiding it, but you could tell if you looked deep into their eyes."

He looked away from his weapon and turned to her. "What's your point?"

"My point is, I know when someone is hiding something," she said gently. "Something is clearly troubling you, but maybe I can help. Think of it as payment for protecting Ruby."

Knowing Weiss, she wasn't going to leave until she found out what was wrong. But that wouldn't stop him from at least trying to avoid it.

"It's nothing, really. It's stupid, it's… petty."

"I'm quite familiar with the feeling, as much as I hate to admit it."

"Honestly, Weiss, you don't want to hear it."

She spun him round to face her. Her eyes locked on his. "Jaune Arc, I haven't seen my friends - no, my family - in months. I will not let them suffer in silence now that I finally have the chance to talk to them. So you _will_ tell me what's wrong, or so help me, I will make you tell me!"

How she planned on making him tell her, he had no idea. Ah, but there was no use arguing with some people, especially if they were Weiss Schnee.

He looked up at her, seeing the concern in her eyes. She genuinely wanted to help him it seemed. Still, she made a good point, and he'd look like a jerk if he rejected her help. Maybe it was time to spill the beans.

He just hoped she'd be able to take the news well…

"Don't get me wrong, Weiss, I'm so happy that you and Ruby are partners again," he sighed. "But I can't deny, I feel a little… well, jealous of you."

Now it was her turn to act surprised. "Jealous? What on earth for?"

"You've got your partner back," he mumbled. "Everyone has their partner back. Team RWBY's complete again, and Ren and Nora still have each other. As for me, I…"

He groaned. "When Ruby became my partner during our travels, I guess at some point I forgot it was only a temporary arrangement. Once she reunited with her team, she'd go back to being yours. I certainly don't blame her for it, nor do I hate you for getting your partner back, but I can't help but feel like I'm losing something again…"

This was getting too much for him. He could feel his voice beginning to crack. He had trouble looking at her. "I'm sorry, I must sound like a total dick right now. I know it's selfish to kinda want Ruby back, but it's just how I feel right now. Now that she's back to being your partner… it'll be just me again…"

That night when she had died… those first few days recovering. Ren and Nora had been with him every step of the way, yet he had never felt so alone before. He seriously didn't know how he would cope without her. Pyrrha was his anchor, the first person to truly believe in him - a fraud who could barely swing a sword. Now she was gone, and it was only now did he start to truly appreciate her kindness and support.

He always was a slow learner.

He felt Weiss put her hand on his shoulder, causing him to look up at her again. Her gentle features were riddled with concern and sympathy, and for him of all people. He never thought he'd see the day.

"Jaune, you don't honestly think that just because you don't have a partner, you're completely alone now, do you?" she asked gently.

He did and he didn't. It was hard to describe.

"Of course I know I'm not alone," he sighed. "But it doesn't change the fact that I don't have anyone to watch my back out there. I've got you guys, sure, but your first priority in combat will be to protect yourself and your partner. I can only do the first part now, and no one's around to do the second part."

Her grip on his shoulder tightened. "What do you think you are now? Grimm fodder?" she snapped. "As I said, my friends are my family. This goes for all of us. We may have partners, but we all still look out for each other. We wouldn't be put in teams of four if that weren't the case. So don't ever think we'd leave you to die. Why would we ever do that?"

Argh, now he really did sound like a dick. His feelings were true, but he didn't blame Weiss for getting a bit annoyed at that.

"I'm sorry, Weiss. I know you wouldn't do that, I just… ugh, I don't even know anymore."

Her hand left his shoulder and moved to his arm. Her thumb stroked it gently. "I know you didn't mean it like that," she said. Her voice turning soft again. "I can't even imagine what you must be going through right now."

He looked at her with a sad smile. "When I was on the road with Ruby, I made sure to never let her out of my sight. I know she can take care of herself, but I did everything I could to make sure she was safe."

"And you did a fantastic job. She looks as healthy and lively as ever."

"Yeah, I figured I might as well try and protect at least one partner for danger."

He looked away from her again. His eyes closed, but that didn't stop the tears slowly dripping out of them.

"Jaune…"

"I miss her," he croaked. "She was the best partner in the world, and I totally didn't deserve her."

He brought a hand to his eyes, trying to hide his tears. Thank God it was only the two of them there. Granted, he'd rather not cry in front of Weiss of all people, but he just couldn't help himself.

Said girl sat by him, wrapping her arms around him and resting her head on his shoulder. "Jaune, you mustn't blame yourself for what happened to her."

"How could I not? She went to fight that woman alone-"

"By choice," she firmly interrupted. "She _chose_ to fight her by herself. She did so to keep you safe."

"Yeah, cause she knew I'd be nothing but a liability to her," he muttered.

"That's not true and you know it! She did what any good partner would do - protect her partner."

"I didn't want to be protected, I wanted to fight by her side. I wanted to assist her, not be sent away. If she really thought I was a good partner, why did she do what she did?"

Weiss sighed. "I suppose love makes us do crazy things…"

He laughed harshly. She did, didn't she? He didn't know what she saw in him, but apparently it was enough to have her die for him - an honour he didn't deserve.

Ugh, but there was no use crying over it now. Pyrrha was gone, and no amount of tears or self-loathing would bring her back. He'd probably never get over the pain, but he had to carry on, if only for her sake.

"Sorry, I'm not usually that emotional about it," he chuckled lightly. A few small tears still dripping from his red eyes. "You must have caught me on a bad day."

She winced. "There's nothing to be sorry for. If anything, I should be the one apologising. You probably wouldn't be acting like this had I not mentioned it."

"Nah, it's alright." His back straightened up a bit. "Honestly, it feels kinda good to talk about it to someone. I mean, I do talk about it, but not often enough."

Weiss stared at him, her eyes studying his face. It was as if she was thinking about something, but Jaune couldn't guess what it was. Her face was too difficult to read. She almost looked as if she was trying to analyse something.

"Jaune, I admit, I'm not very good at expressing affection," she eventually said. "Where I come from, it's not something that gets past around a lot. I suppose that might explain my 'icy' demeanor. It was only until coming to Beacon that I got better at it, but I confess, I'm still learning."

He stared at her puzzled. "Umm, okay… so?"

"So, I guess what I'm trying to say is, what I'm about to do… please don't read too much into it."

She then placed her hands on his cheeks, and before he knew it, she brought her lips to his. The kiss was gentle, soft and warm. She had closed her eyes, but his were wide with shock. He eventually relaxed into it, though. Despite him finally being able to kiss his old crush, there didn't feel anything sexual about it. It seemed to be as Weiss said, just her attempt in expressing affection. He respected that, by not trying to deepen it in anyway.

She pulled away first, a faint blush on her face. "Again, please don't read too much into that," she said. She stroked his cheek with her thumb, her hands still holding his face. "We all miss her, Jaune, and you aren't alone. We're always here for you."

He knew that… he knew that…

"And if you like, you can see just how not alone you are, by coming up and seeing us all. I too have lived a life of loneliness before, and I won't let anyone else suffer the same way."

He pondered it for a moment, before smiling gently at her and giving her a nod. Happy with the result, she left left him to his own devices, gently shutting the door behind her. He made to follow her, but he took one last moment to inspect his weapon.

He held the sword in his hand, his reflection gleaming through the blade. He stared directly at it.

"You hear that, Pyr? We're not alone."

* * *

 **As I said, I don't really consider this to be White Knight, but if you do, I won't judge.**

 **I do hope this is addressed at some point, as I think Jaune will be a bit upset about losing yet another partner. I imagine him being quite reluctant at seeing Ruby go back to Weiss, not because he's looking for a replacement Pyrrha, he just want's someone who has definitely got his back.**

 **To be honest, I'm kinda hoping he bumps into Neo along the way and they form a weird partnership. You know, bonding over dead partners n' stuff. I don't consider myself a shipper, but of all the ships out there, Silent Knight is one that fascinates me the most. I wish I knew why.**

 **Anyways, thanks for reading this.**


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